Women’s Soccer Kicks Off MVC Play Against Indiana State

 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont women's soccer (1-5-2) returns to E.S. Rose Park Sunday afternoon, hosting Indiana State (1-2-5). The Bruins, coming off three road matches, open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play with their annual Pink Out match.
 
The ninth meeting all-time between the teams will kickoff at 2 p.m. CT. The match is available for streaming on ESPN+. Live stats are available at BelmontBruins.com.
 
WHAT'S BRUIN

• Belmont wrapped up non-conference play Sunday, Sept. 10, against Chattanooga with a 3-1 loss. They finished the non-conference portion of the season with a 1-5-2 record.
• Belmont plays three of their four first conference matches at home: Sept. 17 vs. Indiana State, Sept. 21 vs. Murray State, and Sept. 28 vs. Missouri State.
• The Bruins finished 3-4-3 in MVC play last season and made the conference tournament as the seven-seed. They lost in the opening round to Northern Iowa in double overtime, 1-0.
• Belmont was projected to finish seventh in the MVC preseason poll.
• Avery Nowak leads the team with three assists. She leads the MVC in the category along with three other players.
• Sarah Doyle notched double-digit saves in consecutive matches (23 saves total). She tied her career high of 13 against Chattanooga (vs. Georgia on Aug. 21, 2021).
• Doyle needs 14 saves to surpass Ali Young for sixth all-time in career saves. Her current career total is 221.
• Maci Pekmezian scored the only goal in the Bruins' match against Chattanooga. This was her second on the season and ninth of her career.
• The Bruins haven't scored more than two goals in 12 matches. The last time that happened was against Evansville on Oct. 26, 2022.
• In the last five seasons, Belmont has scored two or more goals in 15 matches. Belmont is 14-0-1 in these matches.

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES

• The victory over SIUE was the first of the season, along with first with two goals scored.
• The Sycamores were projected to finish tenth in the MVC preseason poll.
• Indiana State finished ninth in the MVC last season, with a 2-6-2 record.
• The team's six goals rank eighth in the MVC, and tied with Murray State and Southern Illinois.
• Indiana State's four assists is ninth in the MVC. Four different players have contributed to goals this season.
• The Sycamores opened the season, with four straight draws. Notable finishes include two scoreless draws against Louisville and Miami (OH).
• Senior goalkeeper Maddie Alexander is second in the conference in saves (35) and saves per game (4.38).
• Maddie Helling leads the team with two goals. 

ALL-TIME VS. INDIANA STATE

• Indiana State owns a 4-1-3 record against Belmont.
• Sunday's match is the first at E.S. Rose Park since Aug. 29, 2014. Indiana State is 1-1-1 all-time on the road.
• The only victory for Belmont was their first meeting on Oct. 16, 2000, 2-0.

Up Next
Belmont hosts Murray State on Thursday, Sept. 21. Kickoff from E.S. Rose Park is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. The link for live stats can be found at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Follow Belmont women's soccer on social media - @BelmontWSoccer on Twitter, @belmontwsoccer on Instagram and @belmontWsoccer on Facebook - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.